Improvement in breech-loading cannons



I WRIGHT & GOULD.

Breech-Loading Ordnance.

Patnted'Dci 14, 1858.

' rs PATENT" O fi EDIVD. S. lVRIG-HT AND P. GOULD, OF BUFFALO,

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING CANNONSF.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,325, dated December14, 1858.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, ED ARD S. WVRIGHT and THEODORE P. GOULD, of the cityof Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Cannons; and We dohereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of our invention relates, first, to making an opening ormortise transversely through the breech of a cannon, and in theconstruction and use of a sliding abutment in combination therewith, asherein set forth; second, in the constructionand use of an expansivechamber, which contains the cartridge,

and which expands when the cannon is discharged, and fills the bore soperfectly as to prevent windage, and which also absorbs a greaterportion of the heat, and has the effeet to keep the cannon cool; third,in the ap plication of a wrought iron band shrunk around the breech of acannon, when the same is combined with an opening or mortise and slidingabutments, as herein described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure I is a longitudinal section. Fig. II is a longitudinal section,taken at right angles with Fig. I. Y

A is a cannon; B, trunnion; O, caliber.

D is'a sliding abutment. This is nicely fitted into a mortise madetransversely through the breech, and is sufficiently strong to resistthe force of the discharge without springing.

E is a spring-catch, which holds the abutment in its place in themortise.

f is a pin, which passes into the slot 9* and prevents the abutment frombeing drawn entirely out of the mortise when the cannon is being loaded.

H is an expansive chamber. The bore I or hollow part of this chamber isof the same diameter as the caliber forward of the chamber, while thecaliber of that part of the breech which receives the chamber H is madesufficiently large to freely admit the chamber.

J is a bail. This is connected to the bottom of the chamber for thepurpose of conveniently handling the chamber.

. K represents a nib on the bail, which-slides in the groove L andserves as a guide to bring the priming-hole of the chamber-directly inrange with the priming-tube of the cannon. I M is a priming-tube. Thisis screwed into the cannon. It has a square head, so that it may bereadily put in or taken out with a when the cannon is ready to bedischarged,

In order to reload after the cannon has been discharged, the handle ofthe abutment is grasped by the hand, the thumb pressing against thespring E, so as to release the catch. The abutment is then drawn outuntil the pin f strikes the bottom of the groove 9 This releases thechamber, so that it may be drawn out by means of thebail J. Anotherchamber containing a charge is instantly put in,

and the abutment moved back and behind the bottom of the chamber, (thebottom of the chamber resting against the abutment,) and the cannon isagain ready to be discharged. Several chambers are used with one cannon,so that a chamber containing a charge is constantly ready to be used.The chamber receives the principal part of the heat occasioned by thedischarge, and it being instantly removed after the discharge, andanother chamber, which is perfectly cool, being put in for the nextcharge, the cannon itself will remain sufficiently cool for a muchgreater number of successive shots than has heretofore been attained,and the cannon can be loaded and discharged with greater rapidity thanheretofore.

Cannon already in use may be easily fitted to receive this improvement.These chambers have the effect to prevent the burning and granulation ofthe breech, and hence cannon which are fitted to use them will last fora much greater service than those of an ordinary kind.

WVe claim- 1. A mortise made through the breech of a cannon, incombination with the sliding abutment D, for the purposes andsubstantially as the same is combined with amortise and slidherein setforth. ing abutment, as herein set forth.

2. The expansive chamber H or its equiva- 2 lent, in combination withthe cannon A and sliding abutment D, for the purposes and substantiallyas herein described. Vitnesses:

3. The application of a wrought-iron band D. D. BIDWELL,

shrunk around the breech of a cannon when E. B. FORBUSH,

